The conventional machine for unrolling fabrics is provided with a mechanism for automatically feeding elongated cores of rolled fabric, but does not have a mechanism for automatically collecting the elongated cores after the completion of unrolling the fabric therefrom. An explanation will be made of the conventional techique, with reference to FIG. 1 showing a simplified side view of the conventional machine for unrolling fabrics, provided with the device for feeding the rolled cores.
The conventional machine 2' for unrolling fabrics is forwardly and rearwardly movable on the stand 1'. Behind the machine for unrolling fabrics which is provided with a roll 8' for unrolling fabrics at the front end, is positioned a device 4' for automatically feeding cores of rolled fabric onto the machine 2' correspondingly. On the device 4' for automatically feeding rolled fabric, a pair of (right and left) endless link chains 9' circulates up and down, and thereon are projectedly provided, at a fixed distance, pairs of (up and down right and left) holding hooks 10a, 10b. At the front end of a stock member 4" for rolled fabric which comprises an arm rod projecting outward from each endless link chain, a each projected end portion of the elongated core of rolled fabric is held with a bent portion of the lower one of the holding hooks. Under this condition, the roll of fabric on the stock member 4" runs upward, forward and downward in order, and then said projected portion of the elongated core of rolled fabric is transferred onto a projected lower arm of a holding arm 5' (one for each end of the elongated core) which is waiting while inclining upward, when the roll of fabric reaches the middle of the front surface of the device 4'. Then the transferred roll of fabric is supported in the holding arm by moving over, due to its weight, the opening and closing mechanism of the hollow portion 6' for holding elongated cores of rolled fabric which is formed between said projected lower arm and an upper arm of holding arm 5'. Thus, when the holding arm has been rotated forward, the rolled fabric is unrolled by the rotation of the roll 8' and the movement of the machine for unrolling the rolled fabrics.
According to the operation of the conventional mechanism for automatically feeding the rolled fabrics, as mentioned above, when the process of unrolling fabrics is effected by the to and fro movement of the machine and the rotation of the roll 8' is completed to leave the elongated core 3' empty or retaining remnant fabric only, each holding arm 5' which holds a projected end of the elongated core of rolled fabric is, by hand, turned over from the position of the front end shown single-dotted chain line to the position of the rear end shown is solid line in FIG. 1. Then both projected portions of said elongated core, which are held fast by the hollow portions 6', are forced out of the opening and closing stopper mechanism 7 to move downward. After the empty core is received by hand, the empty holding arm 5' is rotated from the position shown in solid line to the position shown by double-dotted chain line in FIG. 1. Thereafter the holding arm receives the elongated core 3' with rolled fabric 3 thereon which is newly supplied by the holding hooks 10a, 10b provided on the endless link chains circulating in the direction shown by an arrow on the device 4' for automatically feeding elongated cores of rolled fabric. According to the operation as described above, although the elongated core of rolled fabric can be automatically set on the machine for unrolling fabric, the removal of the empty core from the machine for unrolling fabric, after completion of the unrolling, is required to be done by hand. That is, the whole process of setting and removing the elongated core for rolled fabric cannot be effected automatically.